うる星やつら episode 94 (TV anime)

SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:

Cherry is seated at the Moroboshi table scarfing food from a bucket, leading Ataru’s annoyed mother to ask Ataru to take out the trash. Cherry disposed of, up in the skies, Lum and Ten-chan are enjoying the falling snow when a snowman comes crashing down, plowing Ten-chan into the ground. Ten-chan is not amused by this and gives chase to this alien. At the same time, Ataru is returning from the bath house and doesn’t see a running snowman when Ten-chan uses his fire breath attack, blasting Ataru by accident instead. Ataru punishes Ten-chan by whacking him with an umbrella.

The next day, Ataru refuses to believe the story of the snowman that can move even though it is right outside his house. Some neighborhood kids give it hands and arms and so when Ataru’s P.E. class runs by, it joins in. Ataru doesn’t notice it, but the other guys do. So when the snowman slaps Ataru’s but, he thinks it is Shuutaro. Ataru wants Shuutaro to stop slapping Ataru’s, though he understands why Shuutaro might become fascinated with it. Shuutaro is not amused by this and Ataru refuses to believe this snowman story. Ten-chan arrives and seeing the snowman, launches a fire attack, which the snowman avoids and it hits Ataru. More punishment for Ataru.

That night, Lum and Ten-chan, who’s been punished three times now for failed attacks, cannot convince Ataru about the snowman. There’s a knock at the sliding glass door and Ataru sees a pink-haired girl in a kimono there, thanking him for saving her three times that day and inviting him down to the ground level for some fun. However, Lum and Ten-chan see only the snowman and are puzzled by Ataru’s actions. They leave as Ataru has food and sake and entertainment (though in reality, it is all snow). Ataru then sees the pink-haired girl turn into different girls he’s lusted for throughout the series (including Lum) before turning into different male characters he’s known. In the morning, it all vanishes and Lum finds him nearly frozen. The two have a moment as the snowman, now on the roof, makes some flurries fall on an otherwise sunny day.

Thoughts/Review:

This is a bizarre episode, even by Urusei Yatsura standards. Having an alien-snowman is one thing, but the whole trip-out sequence that Ataru went through was just so out of this world, I wondered if the production team were on drugs or something when they put this episode together (I’ve no clue if this story is in the manga or not). That part is just so strange and I couldn’t wait until it was all over. It went on a lot longer than I wanted since that part took up the 2nd-half of the episode. It felt a lot longer though.

For the first half, things were pretty entertaining though. It was funny that Ataru kept taking Ten-chan’s blast intended for the snowman and Ataru kept making Ten-chan pay for those attacks. As I’ve said, I’ve never cared for Ten as a character, so anytime that brat gets whacked, I like it. I also laughed out loud at Cherry scarfing food from a bucket and being taken out like garbage.

Even though the 2nd-half is so tedious to me, it did have one nice element — Ataru seeing Lum. I enjoy those moments that show Lum and Ataru being a real couple, really in love even if Ataru doesn’t completely accept that.

So a mixed bag with slightly more good than bad in this episode.